Kennedy

Kennedy: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “helmeted head”
Origin: Irish
Say it: KEN-uh-dee · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls (93% of all uses)

From the Irish surname Ó Cinnéide, descended from Cinnéidigh. The personal name is commonly explained from ceann head and éide helmet or armor.

Irish names English names American names Names meaning protector Names meaning warrior Surname-style names Modern names International names

How popular is Kennedy?

2024894 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Kennedy in 20242,976

2024 rank#89 girls

Peak year2015

Total US babies since 188098,080

Kennedy has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Kennedy

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Kennedivariant spelling of Kennedy · American (modern coinage)
Maeveshe who intoxicates · Irish
Sloaneraider · Irish
Delaneydescendant of the challenger · Irish
Reaganlittle king · Irish
Caseyvigilant · Irish
Alannachild; or dear one · Irish
Teaganlittle poet · Irish

Kennedy questions

What does the name Kennedy mean?

Kennedy means "helmeted head". It comes from Irish. From the Irish surname Ó Cinnéide, descended from Cinnéidigh. The personal name is commonly explained from ceann head and éide helmet or armor.

Is Kennedy a boy or girl name?

Kennedy is mainly a girl's name in US records (93% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Kennedy?

2,976 US babies were named Kennedy in 2024. Its peak year was 2015.

How do you pronounce Kennedy?

Kennedy is usually pronounced KEN-uh-dee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.